Early Intervention Social Worker | University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust; Bristol; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare trust in the UK seeks a Family Support Social Worker to work on a fixed-term project within the Children and Young People’s Gender Service. This role involves collaborating with parents, schools, and multi-agency teams to provide essential safeguarding support for children experiencing gender incongruence. Ideal candidates will have knowledge of child safeguarding practices and will utilize their skills to foster strong relationships and communication within the team.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in safeguarding practices and child welfare.
• Ability to build relationships with families and professionals.
• Proficiency in data collection and management.

Responsibilities

• Work with teams to provide holistic support for children and families.
• Develop safeguarding processes and facilitate communication.
• Attend strategy meetings and case conferences.

Skills

Child safeguarding knowledge

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Legal framework understanding

Education

Qualified Social Worker

Job description

Overview

We are looking for a flexible, innovative team player to be the Family Support Social Worker for a fixed-term service development project within the Children and Young People’s Gender Service (CYPGS) in the South West. The project involves working with parents and schools to provide NHS guidance in supporting children with gender incongruence or gender-related distress. The role will involve travel around the South West of England to community, school and primary care settings, but not lone working. It will also include data collection and management in line with project delivery protocols. This role will be part of a team that assesses need and provides information and support to parents and professionals. Fixed-term family support is part of the project so the ability to build good working relationships with parents is essential. You will be part of the CYPGS and Psychological Health Services (PHS).

PHS is an award-winning department, recognised for a commitment to leadership and the development of Trust-wide psychological services. As a university teaching trust, research and quality improvement form part of UHBW's mission to support excellence in delivery of patient care, alongside education and applied research of the highest quality.

In order to support individual development, growth of expertise and service priorities, staff can benefit from opportunities to work into other clinical areas through discussion and planning with their line manager and head of service.

Responsibilities

• Be a competent, knowledgeable, and visible social worker within the CYPGS (SW), and specifically the service development project.
• Provide high-quality evidence-based safeguarding practice, for children, young people and adults at risk.
• Using knowledge of safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance, and policy to ensure appropriate safeguarding support to children and young people, their families and the CYPGS (SW).
• Understand and guide others in the legal frameworks that apply to children.
• Work with the clinical MDT to ensure child-centered holistic support is identified and provided for family support and safeguarding concerns and work with multi-agency teams in other services, as necessary.
• Develop and implement safeguarding processes for the project and operate within the UHBW systems to safeguard children and young people, including direct liaison with patient’s families and staff.
• Facilitate excellent communication and consistency across the project and the service in terms of safeguarding support, including ensuring the regular briefing of the project team and the Deputy Director of Safeguarding (Children) on key safeguarding issues and family support themes.
• Be able to adjust the support offered considering any learning needs of service users.
• Where appropriate support staff to professionally challenge the analysis of others where safeguarding concerns need further escalation.
• Facilitate good standards of record keeping, report and assessment writing in line with own regulatory bodies and other guidelines.
• Able to provide clear analysis of risk to inform information sharing and referral where concerns are raised for children who are patients or are the children of family members or adult patients.
• Attend as required, strategy meetings, case conferences, core groups, appropriate multi-disciplinary team meetings and any other appropriate meetings, as a support to staff or as a representative of the Trust.
• Share advanced understanding of the additional vulnerabilities of children in care, care experienced and children on Child Protection Plans face and the role of health staff in assessing risk and contributing to safety plans.
• Assist the Clinical Project Lead, as part of the project team and Deputy Director of Safeguarding (Children) in implementing the recommendations of the Cass Report in relation to safeguarding best practice in Children and Young People’s Gender Services.
• As per Working Together 2023, where identified, work as the lead professional at early help and Child in Need level for children receiving a service from the CYPGS (SW).

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

This advert closes on Sunday 28 Sep 2025